


Three Little Words

by Aria_Lerendeair



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Because Steve is the best husband ever, Especially out loud, He gets it, I Love You, M/M, Tony has issues with saying it, but that's okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-28
Updated: 2014-01-28
Packaged: 2018-01-10 08:33:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1157452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aria_Lerendeair/pseuds/Aria_Lerendeair
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Three little words.  That's all he had to say.  And he had to figure out a way to say it, or Steve wasn't going to stick around.  Three words.  Eight letters.  Five words, nineteen letters if he included the name.  He knew single words with more than nineteen letters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Three Little Words

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Three Words Tony](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/34957) by Suuperhusbands. 



> I seriously just need to have a series of fics for shit that I've written inspired by gifsets. SO MANY FICS. JFC. Okay then. 
> 
> Well, this is inspired by the following gifset: http://suuperhusbands.tumblr.com/post/25976782739/three-words-tony-three-words
> 
> Which, I saw and then couldn't resist ficcing. This is delicious and ridiculous.

  
  
  
Three words.  Eight letters.  Nineteen with name included.  He only had to say it once.  Just once.  Steve would let him go if he said it once.  

  
Tony pushed himself away from his worktable and looked around the lab, pacing from one end of the room to the other.  It was late.  No sun outside.  ”Jarvis?”  He hated how small his voice sounded in the lab.  

  
"Sir?"  

  
"What if he leaves because I can’t say it?"  Tony said, his voice soft as he stopped pacing to stare at the ceiling.  He knew Jarvis wasn’t there.  That he was actually stored in a series of servers across three countries, six cities and two of which were bunkers that could survive a nuclear explosion.  Nonetheless.  It helped to look in a direction.  

  
"He will not sir."  

  
Tony wanted to laugh.  He pushed his fingers through his hair and sighed.  ”How do you know that Jarvis?”  

  
"I’ve calculated it sir."  

  
Tony blinked, processing that thought for a moment.  ”You calculated the odds of Steve leaving if I couldn’t say I…if I couldn’t say it?”  

  
"Of course sir.  My primary function is, and always has been your continued health and welfare.  Steve Rogers is now vital to both those states of your being."  

  
He pressed a hand to his face.  ”Odds?”  

  
"Less than-"

  
"Jarvis!"

  
"0.475% sir."  

  
Well.  That was comforting at the least.  For once, it appeared odds were in his favor.  But there was still a chance.  Almost half of a percent of a chance. 

  
"Want to tell him what that half a percent actually is Jarvis?"  Steve called out, stepping down the staircase to the lab, staring at Tony’s frozen back.  

  
"Of course sir.  The fraction of a percent represents the extremely unlikely scenario that you discontinue your present relationship with  Steve Rogers."  

  
"What?"  Tony looked up at the ceiling again.  All the better not to look at Steve.  

  
"I have conversed with Captain Rogers extensively on the subject sir.  I am certain that my calculations are correct."  

  
Tony wanted to run and hide.  Anything to escape the look Steve was giving the back of his head.  ”Yeah, well, human emotions have never been your strong suit Jarvis.”  

  
"Tony."  

  
"In fact!"  Tony strode towards one of the computer consoles.  "That is a piece of your programming that I can adjust right this second-"

  
"Tony."  Steve said.  He reached out and squeezed Tony’s left hand, enfolding it in his own.  "He’s not wrong."  

  
"You can’t know that!"  Tony snarled.  "Maybe not today, this year, or this decade, but you will!"  

  
Steve moved and pinned Tony to the worktable, his fingers wrapped around Tony’s wrists as he pressed them into the cool metal.  ”Now listen.  I’m not going to leave.  Even if you can never say it.  Do you know why?”  

  
Tony sucked in an unsteady breath of air and shook his head, keeping his gaze fixed where golden skin met the collar of the shirt Steve was wearing.  He could see hints of the bite mark he had left last night.  

  
Steve leaned down and pressed a kiss to the shell of Tony’s ear.  ”I don’t need to hear it.  You’ve already told me.  You told me in the way that you repaired my suit without me asking.  In the way that you fall into my bed just as much as yours.  You told me when you started being Tony, just Tony, around me more than Tony Stark.”  

  
He kissed Tony’s cheek, a slow drag of his lips against the stubble there.  ”You told me when you said I was the only one you’ve ever wanted to say it to.  You know I’m not one for words.  That’s enough for me.”  

  
"But what if-"  

  
"Tony.  I love you."  

  
Tony felt his heart jump into his throat.  This was the moment.  The instant he had to keep Steve with him.  ”Steve.”  An apology, a plea, something, anything to try to make him understand, to make him understand.  

  
"Say it again."  Steve ordered, his pupils dilating.  

  
Tony glanced up, a shiver running down his spine at the sight of Steve’s eyes.  That was a look he recognized.  ”Steve…?”  

  
Steve sucked in a slow breath and closed his eyes for a moment before reopening them.  ”I hear it when you say my name.  Say it again.”  

  
"Steve."  Tony watched the shiver roll down Steve’s spine as he was pulled closer.  "Steve.  Steve.  Steve."  The last word was a purr as the taller man shuddered against him.  Tony felt his lips curl in a smile.  "Steve."  

  
  
  
 

Six Months Later

Steve walked over to Tony, watching as he expertly flipped his omelet and shook his head.  For all that Tony was terrible about eating, he was a damn good cook when he wanted to be.  ”I’m heading over to see Dr. Strange.  I’ll be back later tonight.  Love you.”  He stole and quick kiss and got out of the way before Tony threw something at him.  (He was rather infamous for it.  And his aim was almost as good as Clint’s.)  

"Love you too, and damnit, tell Strange that if he needs to kidnap you for an afternoon of galatic travel that…"  Tony stopped.  He looked up at Steve, who was staring at him in shock.  He was pretty fucking positive the same expression was mirrored on his face.  

In a moment though, that changed.  A grin.  Slow, satisfied and fucking PREDATORY crept up over Steve’s face.  Tony reached out and turned the oven off.  ”Strange can wait?”  

"Strange can wait."  Steve affirmed, walking side-by-side with Tony towards the elevators.  

If twenty six minutes and thirty nine seconds of elevator camera footage had been erased from the Stark Tower databases and moved onto Tony’s private server…well, that was no one’s business but his own.    
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Hate it? Love it? Did I have someone remove their shirt twice? Let me know!
> 
> Comments and Criticisms welcome!
> 
> You can find me here: http://aria-lerendeair.tumblr.com/
> 
> You can also watch me write fics like this (and dozens of others) live! Follow me on Livestream for fics, shenanigans and a general all-around awesome time! http://new.livestream.com/accounts/7212317

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Three Little Words [podfic]](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1549655) by [litrapod (litra)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/litra/pseuds/litrapod)




End file.
